


Crisis Catch And Carry

by Disloyal_Order_Of_Water_Buffaloes



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Brotherly Relationship, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, at the hands of Snyder and the refuge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28881231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Disloyal_Order_Of_Water_Buffaloes/pseuds/Disloyal_Order_Of_Water_Buffaloes
Summary: Prompt: Crisis Catch and Carry with brotherly Jack and Race
Relationships: Racetrack Higgins & Jack Kelly
Kudos: 5





	Crisis Catch And Carry

It wasn’t like most of them  _ hadn’t _ been to the refuge before. Jack, Crutchie, and Race were some of the most frequent visitors among the newsies solely because they were the oldest. They’d shove the younger one out of the way and go in their place just to keep Snyder off the kid’s back for a bit.

But,  _ god _ , had Race had enough. He was so sick of Snyder, so sick of dealing with that guy. He was thirteen and the thought of dealing with him for the next however many years was infuriating. Like, truly exhausting. All these kids were doing was trying to survive, and they got arrested for it? They got abused and fucked over for making pennies?

Jack could see the frustration growing day by day, and to say he hadn’t felt that before would be a lie. He was sixteen, he’d been through this cycle multiple times by now. But Jack couldn’t let Race go through the same stuff because of it. 

Race, as expected, was not receptive of the talk when Jack pulled him up to the roof of the lodge.

“I’m old enough, I don’t need you babysitting me. Jesus, Jack,” he scoffed. “Even if I was picked up, I’d be fine. I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again. Ain’t nothing he ain’t done by now and you know that.”

“That’s not the point,” Jack gave him a ‘what-the-fuck’ look. He got the whole ‘rebellious thirteen-year-old’ thing, he was there at one point too. He remembered getting the exact same talk from their previous leader. “The  _ point _ is that I’m worried that when he picks you up--’cause you  _ know  _ he will--you’re gonna get too fucked up ‘cause you won’t stop givin’ him lip. And I can’t lose you, Racer. None of us can.”

“You ain’t gonna  _ lose _ me. Worst, I’ll get locked up a few months, come out a new kind’a fucked up--”

“No,  _ worst _ , you’ll die. You know how many kids the cart outta there a month. The kids who ain’t got anyone care.”

“Well I’m not one of them.”

The two stared each other down for a moment, neither budging. It hurt, specifically because Jack understood. He knew the feeling and what Race was thinking.

He was different from the others. There was no way he’d get  _ that _ hurt. He was stronger than the others.

Every newsie falls into that trap until they have something happen and snap out of it. Their former leader had it, Jack had it, Crutchie had it, and now Race had it. The other newsies would have the mindset too, at some point, once they broke out of simply fearing Snyder and instead brought out the anger and hate toward him.

It wasn’t that the people who had been through this  _ didn’t _ have anger toward Snyder, they just had learned that keeping it filed away and pushed down was the best decision.

Race would learn it with time. But Jack didn’t want to see him have to learn it the hard way. But it didn’t seem like there was any other option.

So he let it go. Race would learn on his own.

A week came and went. The group hadn’t had any particularly bad run-ins with Snyder, just ducking around the corner every so often when they caught sight of him. Nothing too out of the usual. Until Race found himself caught by Snyder and a few other cops while stealing a pair of mittens for himself. 

Jack had seen it coming from a mile away, honestly. He’d been trapped like that a thousand times. And as much as he wanted to let Race deal with his problems himself, let him find out what acting all tough gets you, he wouldn't. He  _ couldn’t _ , not with Race standing there helpless and frozen with the realization that maybe he couldn’t afford acting so tough when he was alone.

He found himself shouting “hey, assholes!” and running up behind his little brother. He shoved Race behind him, hissing for him to run while Jack distracted them. He was fully willing to get arrested for the kid.

The scrawny kid just stood, though, his breathing visible in front of him. He moved when pushed, but otherwise was still as a statue.

“ _ Race _ !” Jack scoffed, elbowing him in the ribs. He knew he could only hold the guys and Snyder off for so long. But Race wasn’t moving, he couldn’t. Almost like he was paralyzed in front of them.

It was a good think Race was skinny, because Jack hauled him off his feet, one arm under his knees and one under his back. Race instinctively threw his arms around Jack’s neck and sighed heavily as he bolted away.

The men chased after the two for a few blocks, but gave up easily as the storekeeper yelled to leave the boys.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Race breathed, letting Jack set him down. “I don’t--I saw ‘him and I just froze up, I mean…”

“Race, buddy, look at me,” Jack said softly, taking one side of Race’s face in each hand. “It’s okay, you know 'm gonna be here for you. But this is why I was pushin’ so hard against the ‘tough guy’ act and everything. This happens, ‘specially when you been there a few times, like us. Seen the shit we seen. You just… gotta be prepared. I don’t wanna lose you, kid.”

“I don’t wanna lose you either,” Race murmured, pulling himself into Jack for a tight hug.


End file.
